I thought that a thread containing a collection of the different shapes and forms of DH could be helpful to people looking for something to compare their own rashes with. So go ahead and post your rashes here to help others find a point of reference. Please add associated symptoms and a short history.

I am however doubtful of this idea being a good one because some people might add photos that are not related and confuse people who are new to all this. I hope it will be ok and if it's not then it's ok to delete this thread and I apologize in advance ;-)

Since I haven't seen a rash that is milder than mine I think that it's actually a proper coincidence that mine is the first one :-)

These images were taken when the rash was in it's mildest form. It has sadly developed since these photos were taking, and gets pink swollen bumpy areas under the blisters. It is also starting to spread to the next finger and on the webbing between my fingers.
The rash used wake me up at night with a blistery, throbbing, itching, and burning finger when I used to consume gluten. Now it mostly burns whenever it shows up with very mild itching. The water in the blisters is clear.

Brief history: I went gluten free Feb. '12 in an attempt to help relieve my GI 'issues'. Through the process I have discovered that being gluten-free has resolved *many* seemingly unrelated symptoms for me. I developed this rash after my first exposure to gluten (while gluten-free, approx. March '12). I get the rash in 3 different areas - it seems to be symmetrical. Responds well to low iodine and gluten-free.

I am not formally diagnosed as I am still searching for a competent doctor. I've got a lead on one (yay!) and plan to get the genetic testing done sometime in the near future.

Edited to add associated symptoms: the rash is *extremely* itchy - wakes me up! It tends to appear all at once - like a volcano eruption. Triggers that I am aware of: gluten, gluten cc, iodine, nighttime, hot water and hot weather.

Here are my pics. (And let me also add I haven't been officially diagnosed either so I wasn't sure if I should post or not but since the above two posters are in the same boat I decided to go ahead. I do hope someone with a positive biopsy will post.)

These were taken at various stages of my rash, I'm not sure what was taken when.

Features:

Started out with one small itch on the back of my neck, took two months for it to go elsewhere and when it did it really did!!

Jumped from neck to both elbows, both hips, back of both knees.

Severe uncontrollable itching, would come in bursts. I would have to scratch and scratch for 15 mintues, then it would get better until the next burst. Would wake in night and scratch.

Burning feeling 1-2 days before breakout.

Skin was very prickly and burned, did not like having anything touch it. Taking a shower was very uncomfortable, did not like water or the washcloth on my skin.

At times it would feel like hives. After scratching an area over and over it would become very inflamed

After a couple weeks of rash on elbows, hips and knees it spread to lower back, slowly going up spine and then spreading outwards. The elbow rash spread up and down my arms about 3 inches both ways. Then the front of thighs broke out, then the front and back of shoulders broke out, then the hip and back rash spread into my stomach. Hundreds of little dots.

Then the whole thing started going away. Total time - 6 months. It is now almost entirely gone, just a bit in one spot.

Edited to add - I've been gluten free for 2+ years and think I had some cc whch caused the rash. I stopped eating the one food I thought may be giving me this. Also started taking loratadine. Rash started to go away. I then reintroduced an oreo a week (as a test to see what would happen and also because I had an appt with dermo and didn't want it to disappear entirely before I met with him). Rash came back a bit and hung around but nowhere near as severe as before. Stopped the oreo after my appt and rash continued to disappear.

Edited by JaneWhoLovesRain, 19 June 2012 - 05:34 PM.

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Gluten free since 2010 when it was suggested that my vertigo/dizzy problems may be from gluten. Tested negative for DH in April of 2012. However I'm not convinced I don't have DH as pictures and description pretty much match what I have.
11/2012 tested positve for 1 of the 2 celiac genes

Dani - not sure if it's just me and my computer or everyone, but I can't access your pictures.

Jane

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Gluten free since 2010 when it was suggested that my vertigo/dizzy problems may be from gluten. Tested negative for DH in April of 2012. However I'm not convinced I don't have DH as pictures and description pretty much match what I have.
11/2012 tested positve for 1 of the 2 celiac genes

I have been adamant NOT to scratch! None of the lesions or scars are the result of scratching them. It's bad enough w/o making bad scars from scratching them. I will scratch around them but never on them. I will rub on them and press on them.The only place I have not had them yet was on the soles of my feet. I get them horribly in my scalp & they tend to be very large there --- the size of a quarter. They look different than these photos but there is no way to seperate the hair well enough to get a good clear photo. In the scalp they generally take 6 weeks to heal. All others run a course of 2 to 4/5 weeks depending on if I was gluten free or got cc'd (only once) & if I got too much iodine or salicylates.

I had the same looking rash on my hands ten years ago. Back then it spread to the sides and backs of all my fingers. I remember it itching and burning so bad I thought i'd go crazy. It took three months of calamine lotion to get rid of it. I could run pretty hot water on my hands and it seemed to make it get worse. Ever since then I might see one or two and get worried only to have them disappear. I've never thought it was connected to gluten. Thanks for pic.

I have been adamant NOT to scratch! None of the lesions or scars are the result of scratching them. It's bad enough w/o making bad scars from scratching them. I will scratch around them but never on them. I will rub on them and press on them.The only place I have not had them yet was on the soles of my feet. I get them horribly in my scalp & they tend to be very large there --- the size of a quarter. They look different than these photos but there is no way to seperate the hair well enough to get a good clear photo. In the scalp they generally take 6 weeks to heal. All others run a course of 2 to 4/5 weeks depending on if I was gluten free or got cc'd (only once) & if I got too much iodine or salicylates.

Oh My! Squirm, that look so painful!A few months ago I got a terrible rash on the same places..on my neck, behind my ears, and all over my chest. It looked EXACTLY like that. The itching wouldnt stop. I was waking up in the middle of the night scratching, waking up with blood all over my chest. Had a few blisters that were oozing. It was gross and embarassing. After a few weeks, it went away and I havent seen it since...

I never took photos of it at it's worst before I went gluten-free except those few on my neck. I could not stand to look at myself. I certainly couldn't see why I would want photos of the horror hanging around. Now I wish I had. Might be good proof to a derm one day. Hindsight 20/20.
I certainly hope your never comes back again! NEVER!

I never took photos of it at it's worst before I went gluten-free except those few on my neck. I could not stand to look at myself. I certainly couldn't see why I would want photos of the horror hanging around. Now I wish I had. Might be good proof to a derm one day. Hindsight 20/20.I certainly hope your never comes back again! NEVER!

I really dont know what it was. I dont know if it was/is DH. This was way before I suspected gluten to be a problem, so I never made the connection. 2 of my 3 kids have pretty severe eczema. We have been to regular drs, dermatologists and allergists. When the flare ups get really bad, the allergist prescribes some steroids and antibiotics and thats it. One of my daughters, however, have a different kind of eczema that looks so much like the pics of DH I see. very bumpy/spotty, with clearish-yellowish oozing spots. Both areas are on the insides of her elbows and she just scratches and scratches and nothing makes it better. It looks exactly like what I had on my chest and neck...not like the eczema the other kids usually have.

I had one daughter tested for celiac and the blood test came back negative, like mine. We all have hypothyroidism, except one daughter...the one with the elbow rashes.

I am so sick of going to drs already. I just am. No one believes me and I feel like a hypochondriac.

Many of the pictures you have posted seem to be consistent with these pictures of diagnosed DH.

This does not mean it IS DH, it just means...it sure seems to resemble it.

I had many blistery sores on my scalp, face, in my mouth when I was very ill from unDXed celiac ---and while it may not have been DH per se, my very celiac-savvy GI calls any type of eruption "celiac sores".

FWIW, ladies.

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"Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way we cope with it makes the difference." Virginia Satir

"The strongest of all warriors are these two - time and patience." Leo Tolstoy

“If idiots could fly, the sky would be like an airport.”― Laura Davenport

"Do or do not. There is no try. "- Yoda.

"LTES" Gem 2014

Misdiagnosed for 25+ years; Finally Diagnosed with Celiac 11/01/10. Double DQ2 genes. This thing tried to kill me. I view Celiac as a fire breathing dragon --and I have run my sword right through his throat.I. Win.

I thought that a thread containing a collection of the different shapes and forms of DH could be helpful to people looking for something to compare their own rashes with. So go ahead and post your rashes here to help others find a point of reference. Please add associated symptoms and a short history.

I am however doubtful of this idea being a good one because some people might add photos that are not related and confuse people who are new to all this. I hope it will be ok and if it's not then it's ok to delete this thread and I apologize in advance ;-)

Since I haven't seen a rash that is milder than mine I think that it's actually a proper coincidence that mine is the first one :-)

These images were taken when the rash was in it's mildest form. It has sadly developed since these photos were taking, and gets pink swollen bumpy areas under the blisters. It is also starting to spread to the next finger and on the webbing between my fingers. The rash used wake me up at night with a blistery, throbbing, itching, and burning finger when I used to consume gluten. Now it mostly burns whenever it shows up with very mild itching. The water in the blisters is clear.

Important: Please note that I'm self-diagnosed, meaning this rash is based on my own speculations based on my symptoms all put together.

This is a more recent picture of how the rash developed since the previous pictures. I now get reddish patches with dry flaky skin that appear before, with, and after the blisters. They don't show very well in the pic however due to being lubricated: